Bath Labour have made an early manifesto pledge by vowing to consult on "pedestrianising" the city centre to "properly tackle the public health crisis" of air pollution.

Ahead of the local elections in 2019, Labour said 'radical action' was needed to address the issue - and that they would look to take it if they won control of Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Councillor John Bull (Paulton), Labour’s spokesman for transport and the environment, said: “Air pollution has become such a hot topic in Bath, yet no one seems willing to take the radical action that is needed to properly tackle this public health crisis.

“In addition to improving our air quality, pedestrianisation would make the busy streets of Bath safer and more pleasant for the vast majority of people who are just walking around doing their shopping.

However, Lucy Simon who runs the gift shop Article in Bartlett Street, off George Street, believes wide-scale pedestrianisation would be anti-trade.

She told the conference: "If the city centre is closed off to cars and access vehicles, it will rip the heart out of the city and kill it from the centre out.

"So many more businesses will be forced to close. We are asking for a balanced approach in order to keep the city centre alive."

Labour said they have not made any firm decisions on what roads they would seek to pedestrianise, but that they would ensure any changes were based on evidence and extensive consultation with residents, businesses and the wider community.

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"I’m proud to be standing for a party that takes air quality very seriously.

"As a GP in Kingsmead, I know patients with respiratory problems have more symptoms when pollution levels are high. Labour can make the changes our city needs.”

In the video above, Dr Gillings adds: "We know we've got a big problem with air pollution in Bath, and we know that air pollution kills.

"I think people in Bath are ready for ambitious plans. It's not about tweaking around the edges to meet an external target.

"Bath needs to take ownership of its air quality and it's really time to make that change."

A view of the Guildhall where B&NES Council meets (Image: Artur Lesniak/ Trinity Mirror)

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